Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I object to this development as it's on Green Belt land and it would remove the buffer to the west of the village. The roads accessing the village are all very narrow with existing congestion already due to the large number of parked cars, with insufficient parking at the station for commuters who then park on the various side roads. This increases the risk of accidents occurring and more housing with extra traffic will only aggravate the situation. Current traffic levels have already lead to accidents at the narrow railway bridge by the station which is unsuitable for heavy traffic.

I object to this development as it's on Green Belt land and it would remove the buffer to the west of the village. The roads accessing the village are all very narrow with existing congestion already due to the large number of parked cars, with insufficient parking at the station for commuters who then park on the various side roads. This increases the risk of accidents occurring and more housing with extra traffic will only aggravate the situation. Current traffic levels have already lead to accidents at both narrow railway bridges, unsuitable for heavy traffic, leading to the B197.

The removal of the village's largest employer with replacement by residential housing will reduce the number of employment opportunities for local people.

I object to this development as it is on Green Belt land and will increase the likelihood of coalescence between Knebworth and Stevenage with the resulting loss of productive agricultural land. The roads between this site and the village centre are unsuited to any additional or heavy traffic. Commuters already park along Oakfields Road and Watton Road due to insufficient parking at the station. A serious accident occurred recently at the junction of Oakfields Road and Stevenage Road involving a lorry turning into Oakfields Road. It stopped abruptly due to both parked vehicles and an oncoming car. This resulted in a car, travelling south on Stevenage Road, colliding with the lorry and the driver having to be cut out. During peak traffic times, access from Oakfields Road on to the B197 is already difficult as the B197 is frequently used by drivers to avoid congestion on the A1(M). Any additional housing will aggravate the problem further with traffic building up on Oakfields Road and Watton Road and even longer queues occurring more frequently on the B197.

The plan for Knebworth is not effective because each site is being considered separately rather than as a whole. The result is that insufficient thought has gone into the appropriate infrastructure required to support the considerable increase in the number of houses in Knebworth.
At peak times, Knebworth station is already heavily used with insufficient parking facilities. With the large number of additional houses planned, plus the 150 planned for Woolmer Green and the windfall site at Odyssey Leisure, commuters will find trains increasingly crowded and parking almost impossible. The occupants of the proposed new housing will not be aware of the degradation of facilities in Knebworth.
A 31% increase in the number of dwellings is not justified when land to the west of Stevenage is already reserved for 3,100 homes.
The loss of Green Belt around Knebworth is totally contrary to Government policy and will lead to coalescence between Knebworth and its neighbours. The village will lose its identity. There would also be a loss of productive agricultural land.
The B197 is already very congested through the village due to traffic using it as an alternative to the A1(M). The additional housing will create more traffic on narrow side roads and bridges unsuitable for heavy traffic with the potential for an increase in the number of accidents.
The loss of a major employer, if site KB3 is developed for housing, will reduce employment opportunities and business development and would be a backward step for the local economy.